McDonald’s Big Mac (Easy Copycat Recipe)
Every McDonald’s fan can recite the 1974 jingle: two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun. This Big Mac copycat delivers all of it: two thin beef patties, a toasted three-part sesame bun, iceberg lettuce, American cheese, minced onion, pickles, and a creamy special sauce that does not start with ketchup. Making it at home means hand-shaped patties, buns toasted in butter, and a stack that arrives hot instead of steam-softened in a paper wrapper. Build one for burger night, a cookout, or a lunch that feels like an event.
Add this site as a preferred Google source!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This McDonald’s Big Mac copycat recreates the world’s most recognized fast-food burger from scratch, including the three-part sesame bun stack, the tangy special sauce, and the layered build you can order from memory. Each component is simple on its own, but the whole is greater than the sum because of how the layers interact.
The beef patties are thin and hand-shaped, cooked quickly so they develop crust without overcooking through the middle. The middle bun, toasted on both sides, gives the stack structural integrity and a second hit of crisp, buttery bread right in the center.
If you have always wanted to pull off a real Big Mac at home rather than a close-enough stand-in, this recipe gets you there. The special sauce alone is worth making a batch of to keep in the fridge.
What makes this copycat recipe different
- Rehydrated dehydrated onions — the single most McDonald ‘s-accurate detail in the recipe. Real Big Macs use dehydrated onions rehydrated in warm water, not fresh chopped onions. Nearly every other copycat recipe misses this, which is why their burgers taste “close” but never exact.
- Ten thin patties from a single pound of ground chuck — matching McDonald’s actual 1.6-oz patty spec. Most copycat recipes split the beef into 8 patties, producing a burger that’s noticeably thicker and heavier than the original.
- A 350°F griddle, not a hot skillet — a specific flat-top temperature that mirrors how McDonald’s cooks its burgers. Other recipes hedge with vague “medium-high heat” instructions; this one gives home cooks a reproducible number.
- Buttered, griddle-toasted buns in the correct three-layer build order — bottom bun, sauce, onions, lettuce, cheese, patty, middle bun, sauce, onions, lettuce, patty, pickles, top. A detail most recipes either skip or rearrange, but one that’s essential to getting the real Big Mac bite.
What is special about the Special Sauce?
McDonald’s Big Mac sauce is really just a form of Thousand Island dressing. This special sauce isn’t made in McDonald’s stores anymore. It now comes in an airtight container that dispenses it like a caulking gun. What some people get wrong about this sauce is that it uses ketchup; this recipe doesn’t start with ketchup.
But you can make it yourself! My copycat Big Mac sauce recipe approximates the sauce reasonably closely. We love it, and you will too. And you can use the homemade Big Mac Sauce as a salad dressing for a Big Mac salad or a dipping sauce for chicken tenders and fries.
Big Mac Ingredients
Here’s what else you need. All of these ingredients are easily found at grocery stores.
- Ground beef chuck – Shaped into thin patties; chuck brings the classic fast-food flavor with enough fat to stay juicy.
- Salt – Seasons the meat and draws flavor to the surface.
- Black pepper – Adds warmth and a light bite to the patties.
- Butter – Brushed on the cut sides of the buns to create a crisp, golden, buttery toast.
- American cheese – Melts in the signature Big Mac way, glossy and draped across the patty.
- Minced white onion – Tucked between bun and sauce; mincing (rather than slicing) puts onion in every bite.
- Pickle slices – Thin-cut dill pickles that add crisp acidity to balance the rich sauce.
- Iceberg lettuce – Shredded for cold crunch and watery freshness.
- Special sauce – The Big Mac’s signature layer, a tangy mayo-based sauce with relish, mustard, vinegar, and spices (not ketchup).
- Sesame seed hamburger buns – Standard store-bought buns; you will repurpose the bottom halves of a few buns as the middle layer.
How to Make Big Mac Burger Buns
As you know, Big Macs have three layers of buns. The McDonald’s Big Mac Burger buns are easy to make at home.
You will use a package of hamburger buns and some buns as the middle bun. So, with a package of 8 hamburger buns, you can make about five homemade Big Macs.
Cut the top off of the top bun to make it even, then use the bottom half as the middle portion of the Big Mac.
How to Make a Big Mac
- Season the hamburger meat with salt and pepper.
- Shape into 10 thin patties.
- Grill the patties or cook the patties in a large skillet to your liking.
- Spread butter on the cut sides of the buns and place them butter-side down on the grill.
- Grill the buns until they are slightly browned. Make sure the middle bun is toasted on each side.
- Build the burger by placing the secret sauce, lettuce, cheese, onions, and one patty on the bottom bun.
- Top it off with the middle bun.
- Then add the sauce, lettuce, pickles, onion, and another patty to the middle bun.
- Top with the top bun, and you are all set.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Freezer Storage: Freeze fully cooled cooked patties (without toppings) in a single layer on a sheet tray, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat. Do not freeze assembled burgers; the lettuce, pickles, and sauce will turn to slush.
Refrigerator Storage: Store the components separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Keep the cooked patties, lettuce, onion, pickles, sauce, and cheese in their own containers to prevent sogginess. Buns live at room temperature, bagged.
Reheating Method: Reheat the patties in a skillet over medium-low heat with a tablespoon of water and a lid for 1 to 2 minutes per side to restore moisture, or in a 350°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes per side, adding fresh-buttered buns for the last 5 minutes. Build the stack right after reheating.
History of the Big Mac
This famous hamburger was created by Jim Delligatti, who owned several McDonald’s franchises in the Pittsburgh area. Although not all Big Macs are made exactly the same, this burger is sold worldwide.
The one we have come to know and love became popular in 1974 with this jingle, “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun.” This marketing campaign will not let us forget all of the ingredients of the Big Mac.
How can you make this recipe even better?
No one can argue how good this tastes. It is the perfect flavor combination. Pulling out the middle bun and making a larger burger patty yields one delicious burger. We either do these as smash burgers or season the meat with Lawry’s seasoned salt. The elements of this burger that stand out are the combination of onions, pickles, lettuce, and sauce. So when we make this at home, we build it like a regular burger and add all the toppings.
Love burgers? Try these recipes
- Butter Burger
- The Whopper
- Big Mac Sloppy Joes
- Make Your Own White Castle Burgers
- Steak N Shake Burger
- McDonald’s Big Mac Wrap
- Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger
- Pizza Burger
- Big Mouth Burger Bites
- McDonald’s Hamburger
- Basic Burger Seasoning
Popular McDonald’s Drinks
Check out more tasty beef recipes and favorite fast food restaurant copycat recipes.
Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
McDonald’s Big Mac (Easy Copycat Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 5 whole hamburger buns plus 5 extra bottom buns for use as middle buns
- ¼ cup Big Mac sauce
- 5 tablespoons minced onion
- lettuce
- 5 slices American cheese
- 15 dill pickle slices
Instructions
- In a bowl, season the ground chuck with salt and pepper. Shape the meat into 10 relatively thin patties.
- Heat a griddle to 350°F. Place the patties on the griddle and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on one side, adding an extra dash of salt and pepper while cooking.
- Flip the burgers and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until the juices from the meat run clear.
- Spread the softened butter on the cut sides of the buns and place them on the griddle until the bread begins to brown. Flip the middle buns and allow them to toast on both sides.
- Assemble the burgers in the following order: bottom bun, Big Mac sauce, onions, lettuce, cheese, hamburger patty, middle bun, Big Mac sauce, onions, lettuce, hamburger patty, two or three pickle slices, and finally the top bun.
It looks like an amazing recipe except for one thing. Most guys out there don’t want thin patties, they want something they can sink their teeth into. When i make burger patties, they’re at least a half inch thick, weighing close to a third of a pound each.
I appreciate your feedback! The beauty if cooking at home, is you can always modify the recipe the way you want. Chili’s does a take on this burger, they call their version the Big Masher.
Can you bake the hamburgers? I have to make double the recipe. I hope so, ’cause making 20 patties would be impossible for me.
I think the better option may be to broil them, rather than to bake them in the oven.
This is the best Big Mac ever
Thank you for all the yummy recipes. My hubby will love the Big Mac being made at home. Always watching your creations so I can try them .
I wanna try this, but only have the premade frozen beef burger patties. Might be a silly question, but will it still work with these? Has anyone done that?
I think you could use those, and it would be just fine, your patties may be a lot thicker though.
Honestly I wont be going back to Maccie Ds, this recipe is awesome and guys please try the pizza hut copy too , really spot on